Caster-socket.



No. 664,875. Patented 1an; l, mm.

' W, LH/MNGSTONE.

cAslrEn sucker. (Apphc on med July 13 1900) (No Model.)

ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM LIVINGSTONE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO ROBERT MURRAY,TRUSTEE, OF SAME PLACE.

(EASTER-SOCKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 664,875, dated January1, 1901.

Applicants ned my 13, 1900.

To all whom it nfl/ty concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM LIvINGsToNE, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, (Flushing,) Queens county, State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Caster-Sockets, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to caster-sockets, and has for its object toproduce a caster-socket from sheet metal which will firmly engage thearticle to which it is applied, so as to remain rigidly. in placetherein, and which by reason of its form can be stamped out of resilientsheet metal with great economy.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown constructions in which myinvention is embodied.

In the drawings, FigurD 1 is a pley View of a blank from which theraster-socket is struck up. Fig. 2 is a rnodied form thereof. Fig. 3shows the castersocket struck up from the blank at an intermediate stageof its formation. Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is aside view of the caster-socket in its completed form. Fig. 6 is anotherside view of the caster-socket, taken at right angles to the directionof view in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a section on line 7 7 of Fig. G. Fig. 8

shows the caster-socket in position with the caster in place therein,the view being sectional, the section being taken on the line S 8 ofFig. 5. Fig. 9 is a sectional view similar to the section shown in Fig.7, showing a modified form wherein the wing of one side of the socket isintended to be bent over the wing of the other side of the socket, thecompleted socket being shown in section in Fig. l0 preferably bent upinto shape.

It will be understood that Fig. 10 is more or less diagrammatic, as themetal of the wings is shown therein as bent a little too sharply.

The metal blank shown in Figs. l and 2 preferably consists of thecentral web a,which is united by webs b4 to side pieces c, which areprovided with Wings d and terminal portions e, preferably curved, whichconstitute the track-plate when the socket is formed up. It-will beobserved that blanks of this shape may be efficiently grouped upon asurface, so that the great loss of metal heretofore ex- Serial No.23,450. @lo model.)

perienced in sockets of this character is ob- Viated, as this blank maybe very economically punched out of sheet metal.

The blank shown in Fig. 2 is similar to the blank shown in Fig. l,except that the edges are more pronouncedly curved at f, where thetrack-plate e joins the body or side piece c. The blank shown in Fig. lis by suitable dies or presses formed into the intermediate form shownin Figs. 3 and 4, wherein the side pieces c are shown as longitudinallycurved to form semitubes and the track-plates e as iiared, the wings dbeing also formed up. The cross-section Fig. 4 will give a very goodidea of the shape when it is taken in connection with Fig. 3.

In Figs. 5, 6, and 7 the socket is shown as bent into its finalform,`wherein the middle web a, and the connecting-pieces b are shown asbent up into a laterally-apertured cap. The curved side pieces c may besubstantially parallel, and the wings d are brought together andconstitute ribs, and the track-v plates e are bent up into final formand brought together to receive the thrust of the top plate ot' thecaster.

The construction thus constituted is shown in use in Fig. 8, wherein grepresents the leg of the table, and h a caster, which caster isprovided with a collar t', which is springily engaged by theinwardly-bent tangs j, constituted by the upper corners of the sidepieces. It will be observed that the ribs when the socket is driven intoplace in the furniture-leg will firmly engage such furniture-leg andwill remain securely and rigidly in place. In the caster-socketsheretoforepro posed, wherein in order to secure the socket in placereliance was had upon teeth on the upturned edges of the track-plate, ithas been found that these teeth gradually set up a sawing action, sothat the upturned edge of the track-plate acts after the manner of acircular saw and the caster-socket comes loose. Such a result could notoccur with the castersocket forming the subject of my present invention,as the ribs are operative to firmly secure the socket in place.

It will be observed that the caster-socket may be said to comprise,essentially, a castersocket bent up of a single piece of sheet metal IOOand formed yin corresponding halves united by the webs c b, whereby thehalves of the caster-socket are given a tendency to spread. By thusconstructing the caster-socket compensation is made for any shrinkage ofthe wooden legs into which the caster-socket is inserted, whichshrinkage would produce an enlargement of the hole inthe leg. In otherwords, as the shrinkage and consequent enlargement of the hole occur thecaster-socket will expand laterally, separating the wings d d slightlyand compressing them firmly against the walls of the eypr-'zfled hoi-.By this means the socket is invariably kept rigidly in position. I amaware that it has been proposed to form a rib or ribs in a drawn socket;but the socket being of invariable shape has no elasticity save itsinherent elasticity due to the character of the metal.

In the modification shown in Figs. 9 and l0 one wing d of each sidepiece is wider than the adjacent opposite wing and maybe bent over thenarrowerl opposite wing, as shown in Fig. 10.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

1. As a new and useful article of manufacture, a one-piece caster-socketmade of dexible sheet metal, and comprising in its structure curvedsections or members c united at their tops by a web of bent metal toforma tubular socket, and having a plurality of lateral extensions e forminga base or track plate, and wings d on separable portions of the tubularsocket, tlz said wingaVy extending longitudinally of the socket andprojecting laterally thereof at or near the hase or track plate, wherebythe wings may be driven into the walls of the hole into which the socketis inserted and will maintain the socket against rotary movement in thehole. f

2. As a new and useful article of manufacture, a one-piece caster-socketmade of flexible sheet metal, and comprising in its structure curvedsections or members c united by a web of bent metal to form atubularsocket, and having a plurality of lateral extensions e forming a base ortrack plate and wings d on separable portions of the tubular socket, thesaid wings extending longitudinally of the socket and projectinglaterally thereof at or near the base or track plate.

3. As a new and useful article of manufacture, a one-piece caster-socketmade of flexible sheet metal, and comprising in its structure curvedsections or members c united to each other to form a tubular socketadapted to be forcibly driven into a hole in a wooden furniture-leg andwings d on separable portions of the tubular socket, the said wingsextending longitudinally of the socket and projecting laterally thereofat or near the lower end whereby the wings may be driven into the Wallsof the hole into which the socket is inserted and will maintain thesocket against rotary movement in the holo.

4:. A caster-socket adapted to be forcibly driven into a hole in awooden furniture-leg, said socket being shaped from a single sheet ofmetal bent into tubular form, provided with laterally-projectinglongitudinally-extending wings on separable portions thereof, andterminal projections constituting a trackplate.

5. An expansible caster-socket, adapted to be driven into a hole inwood, formed from a single sheet of metal and bent into tubular form,the edges of the sections which form the tube abutting so as to form anextended bearing for the caster-pintle, and laterallyprojecting wingsextending longitudinally of the tube and carried by separable portionsthereof, said wings adapted to be driven into the Walls of the hole intowhich the socket is inserted.

WILLIAM LIVINGSTONE.

Witnesses:

GEO. E. MORSE, CHARLES E. SMITH.

